Rocket Lab fails to catch booster with helicopter
A Rocket Lab USA Inc. helicopter failed to catch a booster in midair as it returned from space over the Pacific Ocean.
The problem was related to a “telemetry loss” from the Electron rocket’s first stage during re-entry, the company said in a tweet.
The booster landed in the Pacific Ocean and a recovery vessel will collect it, Rocket Lab said.
“Unfortunately it looks like we are not going to bring Electron home dry today,” Murielle Baker, a spokesperson for Rocket Lab, said during a live web stream of the attempt.
Launched at 1:27 p.m. New York time Friday from Rocket Lab’s site in New Zealand, the mission successfully deployed a science research satellite for the Swedish National Space Agency.
The booster was supposed to be retrieved before splashing down in the Pacific — part of Rocket Lab’s system to reuse them, potentially cutting down on costs and time between launches.
In a previous mission, Rocket Lab caught a booster after a return from space, but the helicopter pilot chose to drop the rocket immediately for technical reasons.
Rocket Lab shares rose 1.6% at 2:31 p.m. in New York.
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